Razor-qt is a brand new desktop environment based on Qt framework, the same development framework that KDE is based on. Though it is still in its infancy and, therefore, not as feature-complete as KDE or other well known desktop environments, it has a bright future ahead of it. And from what I have seen so far, it could be taking KDE and the rest to the cleaners in the very near future.

Compared to KDE, one thing it has going for it right now, is that it is fast. How fast? Very. Take a basic test using Firefox 9, the version of the popular Web browser installed by default on Linux Mint 12 KDE. On KDE, Firefox takes at least six (6) seconds to load, while on Razor-qt, it takes just three (3) seconds. That is significant.

Two more examples: LibreOffice Writer, the word processor component of LibreOffice, loads in 15 seconds on KDE, but just in three (3) seconds on Razor-qt. And Software Manager, Linux Mint’s graphical package manager, loads in 10 seconds on Razor-qt and 17 seconds on KDE.